Abstract
Place is seen as a process whereby social and cultural forms are reproduced. This process is closely linked to capital flows, which are, in turn, shaped by changing property regimes. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the relationship between property regimes, capital flows and place-making. The goal of this paper is to highlight the role of changing property regimes in the production of place. Our research area is South Luogu Lane (SLL) in Central Beijing. We take elites’ former houses in SLL as the main unit of analysis in this study. From studying this changing landscape, we draw four main conclusions. First, the location of SSL was critical in enabling it to emerge as a high-status residential community near the imperial city. Second, historical patterns of capital accumulation influenced subsequent rounds of private investment into particular areas of SLL. Third, as laws relating to the ownership of land and real estate changed fundamentally in the early 1950s and again in the 1980s, the target and intensity of capital flows into housing in SLL changed too. Fourth, these changes in capital flow are linked to ongoing changes in the place image of SLL.
Highlights
The old city of Beijing contains a number of designated “historic preservation districts”
We argue that it is important to pay particular attention to changing property regimes that, in turn, have profoundly influenced the geography of capital flows into South Luogu Lane (SLL) over time
We show how the process of building, repairing, and purchasing and allocating the houses in SLL has been shaped by changing property regimes
Summary
The old city of Beijing contains a number of designated “historic preservation districts”. This phenomenon can be seen in many cities around the world. As numerous scholars have argued, historical places are really distillations of much broader social and spatial processes [3]. This paper adds nuance to these debates through a case study of South Luogu Lane (SLL), a historic preservation area in central Beijing. We argue that it is important to pay particular attention to changing property regimes that, in turn, have profoundly influenced the geography of capital flows into SLL over time. We situate our work in relation to wider debates about property regimes, capitalism and place-making. We recapitulate our major findings and reflect on how our case study nuances broader arguments about the production of place
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